Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 8:6/רמב"ן על שמות ח׳:ו׳
אוַיֹּאמֶר לְמָחָר יָדוּעַ כִּי מִנְהַג כָּל הָאָדָם לְבַקֵּשׁ שֶׁתָּסוּר רָעָתוֹ מִיָּד. וּפֵרְשׁוּ בְּשֵׁם הַגָּאוֹן רַב שְׁמוּאֵל בֶּן חָפְנִי, שֶׁפַּרְעֹה חָשַׁב אוּלַי מַעֲרֶכֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם הֵבִיאָה הַצְפַרְדְּעִים עַל מִצְרַיִם וּמֹשֶׁה יָדַע כִּי הִגִּיעַ עֵת סוּרָם, וְלָכֵן אָמַר אֵלָיו "הִתְפָּאֵר עָלַי" בְּחָשְׁבוֹ שֶׁאוֹמֵר לוֹ עַתָּה לְהַכְרִיתָם מִיָּד, וְעַל כֵּן הֶאֱרִיךְ לְמָחָר. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאָמַר "לְמָתַי אַעְתִּיר לְךָ", חָשַׁב פַּרְעֹה כִּי בִּקֵּשׁ זְמַן, וְעַל כֵּן נָתַן לוֹ זְמַן קָצָר, וַיֹּאמֶר לְמָחָר, וּמֹשֶׁה עָנָה לוֹ כִּדְבָרְךָ כֵּן יִהְיֶה, כִּי אַחֲרֵי שֶׁלֹּא בִּקַּשְׁתָּ שֶׁיָּסוּרוּ מִיָּד לֹא יָסוּרוּ עַד לְמָחָר:
1AND HE SAID, FOR TOMORROW. It is a known fact that it is man’s nature to pray that his misfortune be removed from him at once. [The question then arises: Why did Pharaoh say that the frogs were to be removed tomorrow?] In the name of the Gaon Rav Shmuel ben Chophni,139 they have explained that Pharaoh thought that perhaps some heavenly constellation brought the frogs upon Egypt, and that Moses [by his knowledge of astrology] knows the time when they will disappear, and therefore Moses had said to him, Have thou this glory over me,140 thinking that Pharaoh will now tell him to destroy them immediately. Therefore Pharaoh extended the time until the morrow.The correct interpretation appears to me to be that because Moses had said, Against what time shall I entreat for thee,140 Pharaoh thought that Moses was desirous for time, and so he fixed the shortest time limit, And he said, For tomorrow. Moses answered him, “According to thy word, let it be so, for since you did not ask that they be removed immediately, they shall not be removed until tomorrow.”